Donor Journeys

Donor Journeys
FAMILY PHILANTHROPY
Every donor has a journey.
Every giving family has a story to tell about their philanthropic path and past. While these experiences are shared across family philanthropy in many ways, no two donor journeys are exactly alike.

A donor’s journey deeply influences that donor’s giving, values, strategies, knowledge, skills, and ultimately, impact. As a field, we need to learn more about what goes into a successful donor journey and actively share these lessons with family donors of every sort.

The Donor Journeys Initiative is an integrated suite of projects produced by the Founding Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy. Each element of the initiative seeks to evaluate and analyze donor journeys, advancing family philanthropy’s understanding and maximization of diverse donor journeys in specific and complementary ways.

A Video Introduction to Donor Journeys

 
Dr. Michael Moody, Founding Frey Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Johnson Center, welcomes attendees to the 2019 National Summit on Family Philanthropy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and introduces the theme of the event — Our Donor Journeys and Why They Matter.

Attendees of the fifth biennial Summit reflected on their philanthropic journeys, heard about the fascinating paths taken by others, and explored the lessons learned along the way.


CASE STUDY

Guiding the Learning Journeys of Next Gen Donors

Major donors from Gen X and later generations have unprecedented resources to give and are crafting their philanthropic identities — discovering what kind of donors they want to be and trying to learn how to become those donors. The Next Gen Donor Learning report developed in collaboration with 21/64 for the Greater Houston Community Foundation offers guidance on designing effective programs to help guide the learning journeys of these essential next gen donors.
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The Donor Journeys Initiative

This initiative was led by the Founding Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy, Dr. Michael Moody.

Looking for more on family philanthropy?

Explore the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy’s work through research and initiatives.
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